New Tigray alliance forcibly recruits men and boys aged 15 to 65

TPLF allies with forces previously found to have committed war crimes

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which rules Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, is now allied with the Eritrean Defence Forces and Amhara militias it fought during the 2020-22 war, according to reporting by The Guardian’s Lucy Kassa published Tuesday. The reversal comes as renewed fighting has shattered the Pretoria peace agreement the TPLF and Ethiopia’s federal government signed in November 2022.

The renewed fighting began on 23 September 2026 after months of escalating tensions, The Guardian reported. The TPLF launched what it claims was a response to drone strikes by the federal government.

Witnesses in Tigray described a broad campaign of forced recruitment by the new armed alliance, targeting men and boys between the ages of 15 and 65. They are rounding up civilians from streets and public transit areas, according to the witnesses.

The UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia previously found that the Ethiopian army, Eritrean forces, and Amhara nationalist “fano” militias committed grave atrocities against the Tigrayan population that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 2020-22 conflict. An Amnesty International report also accused Tigrayan forces of committing atrocities.

Gezu, 34, a Tigrayan who fought with regional forces in the 2020-22 war and whose name has been changed to protect his identity, told The Guardian he received a call from TPLF authorities to join the armed group after the latest outbreak of hostilities. “I refused to join the war,” Gezu said. “I responded to them to kill me rather than ever force me back to the horrors of the battlefield.”

He said armed men began rounding up civilians when voluntary recruitment failed. “When they saw no one would join their army willingly, and people fleeing to the capital city, they started rounding up people from the streets,” Gezu said. “I didn’t want to leave my home town until things started getting worse.”

On 23 September, Ethiopian Airlines suspended flights to and from Tigray after Tigrayan forces seized the airport in Mekelle, the regional capital, stranding many civilians. The Ethiopian military later retook the airport, according to The Guardian.

Solomon, a 52-year-old man whose name was also changed and who was able to flee to Addis Ababa, said the recruitment campaign hit certain demographics within the broader 15-to-65 range most heavily. “The main targets are those between the ages of 15 and 40,” Solomon said. “I have seen the armed group of the TPLF rounding up people as young as 15 and 16 at gunpoint from the streets and public transportation areas.”

Solomon said medical exemptions were not honored. “I know parents who tried to save their children by showing medical certificates,” he said. “The officers don’t care whatever internal disease you have; they forcefully recruit anyone whose hands, eyes and feet work.”

Ephrem, 40, a father of three, said the threat of forced conscription has affected daily life throughout the region. “Every time I go outside the house, my wife and the kids are anxious,” Ephrem said. “The kids cry fearing that I will be rounded up from the street.” He added: “People who have money protect themselves and their children from the forced recruitment by bribing the officers. It is devastating; no one wants to join the war.”

The federal government abruptly froze citizens’ bank accounts in Tigray about a week before The Guardian’s report was published, leaving people unable to withdraw their money. The banks have since reopened with a daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr (£9), with long queues forming outside.

Negus, an elderly man in Mekelle whose name has been changed, said the withdrawal limit cannot cover basic necessities. “We don’t know for how long the siege and the war are going to stay,” Negus said. “A daily withdrawal limit of 2,000 birr can hardly afford to buy the skyrocketing food prices. It is impossible to leave this embattled region. There is no way for relatives outside to send medicine or cash. I am just hoping it all ends soon.”

Internet and phone communications were also cut off on orders of the TPLF until this week, according to The Guardian, leaving families desperate for news of relatives in the region.

The Guardian also reported that the Ethiopian government has been accused of carrying out indiscriminate drone airstrikes and that opposition forces have attacked positions close to Addis Ababa.

The 2020-22 conflict killed an estimated 300,000 to 800,000 civilians, according to the British government.